The Masons Arms Hotel celebrates successful year following revival

A hotel and restaurant in Louth town centre has come on in leaps and bounds - just one year after reopening under new ownership.

The Masons Arms Hotel, in Cornmarket, had been closed for quite some time before new owner Charles Nickerson, bought the 18th-century building last year.

Chef Alistair Barwood and Manager Alex Sweeney at The Masons Arms.

After a comprehensive refurbishment, the Masons Arms reopened to the public last August, offering a fine dining experience and boutique hotel rooms - plus a rejuvenated ballroom, a new cocktail bar on the first floor, and the ‘library’ which offers a quiet place to enjoy a hot drink while relaxing or working.

The restaurant, run by chef Alistair Barwood - previously the owner and head chef at Perkins Pantry - has received widespread praise, achieving a strong rating on TripAdvisor and recently being awarded a prestigious AA Rosette.

Alistair, who joined the team just six months ago, has already put his own stamp on the restaurant, bringing his own speciality dishes to the kitchen and using high quality local produce where possible.

Classic afternoon teas, served between 12-5pm, have proven to be very popular, as have Sunday lunches (which are offered alongside a full lunch menu), and ‘tapas nights’ on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6-9pm.

Alistair is full of praise for his enthusiastic kitchen team, which will soon be ‘looking into’ launching a breakfast/brunch menu for the public.

Manager, Alex Sweeney, said there was ‘big excitement’ when the Masons Arms reopened last summer, and word quickly spread that the hotel is back in business.

Alex said the ballroom - previously rarely used - has been given a new lease of life with a full refurbishment, and now regularly hosts weddings, christenings,baby showers, wakes, Christmas parties, and much more.

Other events held there have included pilates, psychic nights, business meetings - as well as the increasingly popular jazz nights, which will next be taking place on October 8, October 29 and November 26 (all starting at around 7pm).

Visit the Masons Arms in Cornmarket for more details, or find out more by visiting www.the-masons-arms.com or following them on Facebook.